THUNDER BAY – Cash and Jack Maki won’t have to share a bedroom for very much longer.
Their father, Sam Maki, said the first thing he and his wife, Tracey, plans to do after winning the record-setting $3.98-million Thunder Bay 50/50 jackpot, is to buy a larger house, to give the kids a little more space.
A family trip is also on the horizon and for Tracey, so is something as simple as a new pair of boots.
It was a life-changing Friday morning for the Thunder Bay family, who took the coveted phone call from Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation CEO and president Glenn Craig at precisely 11 a.m.
Sam Maki said he saw the number come up on his phone, and couldn’t believe he was the lucky winner, of what’s believed to be the largest hospital 50/50 draw to date in Canada.
“It’s definitely life-changing. I’m in utter shock and disbelief,” he said, taking enough time to hop in the shower before rounding up the family and heading out to Intercity Shopping Centre and the foundation’s 50/50 store next to the food court.
“Nothing like this has ever happened to me or anyone in my family. I think it’s going to be very life-changing. I just need to take a step back and really think about it, really just enjoy it.”
The new house is first and foremost on his mind, though the peace of mind knowing they can afford the kids’ hockey and other curricular activities, and that they’ll have money socked away for their future post-secondary education, comes a close second.
“We have a pretty small house. Our kids are sharing a bedroom, so that was our first thought, let’s get more room and get the kids their own bedrooms and get the wife a bigger closet. Maybe just a house for now and maybe (we’ll) take the kids on a nice trip. We haven’t really been anywhere, so yeah, maybe just that for now,” Sam Maki said.
Tracey Maki said she was listening to her husband’s reaction while he was on the phone with Craig, adding she was waiting for someone to reveal it was a prank call.
She realized quickly it was all too real.
“My legitimate first thought was, oh, I can buy new boots now. I don’t even know what this means. It’s amazing, really, exciting. I’m just happy we can save for the kids’ future. We can take them on trips, we can put them in hockey and theatre and all the things they love to do without worrying about how we’re going to pay for it,” she said.
“It’s a pretty amazing gift.”
Craig, who makes a call each month giving away jackpot after jackpot, said it was overwhelming seeing the Maki family accept their prize.
It’s a win-win for everyone, he added.
“The work we do helps people and changes their lives, but they’re often faces we don’t see. The people we help, whether they come through the cancer centre, the cardiac program, the emergency department, a lot of the people are faceless. But we know we’re helping people,” Craig said.
“This is another dimension. We started planning this draw in December. It’s just been months of hard work. Everybody’s tired, we’ve been working so hard at it. When you see this, it’s overwhelming.”
The 12 monthly draws in 2023 brought in a record $30.29 million this year, half paid out in jackpots, with the hospital foundation keeping the rest, minus expenses. The money is used to purchase equipment at Thunder Bay Regional.
The December jackpot was $1.45 million more than last year’s Christmastime prize.
Craig said he’s not sure where it goes from here.
“How high is up? How long is a piece of string. When we first talked about this a couple of years ago, we thought if we did a couple hundred thousand dollars we’d be over the moon. We are changing the lives of people at the hospital. We’re changing people’s lives. I think people in Thunder Bay are really behind this.”
